Freeze/thaw results with Linda Moler clay substrate (kitty litter)

Horticulture
1

Hello all,

In my ongoing search for soil mediums here in The Netherlands I recently came across this product called “Linda Moler” which appears to be 100% moler clay. Product is quite cheap (20L at ~11 EUR). I wanted to better understand how this product might hold up through freeze/thaw cycles and typical winter erosion. Do note that I’ve already planted a significant portion of my trees in this substrate (around 15 in total), mixed to different ratios with pumice (50/50 vs 60/40, etc).

The results you see below are after 20 freeze/thaw cycles. I made the product wet and let it drain, put it in a ziploc bag and put it in my freezer (-7C). Each cycle I would let it thaw completely at room temperature and repeat this process. Here you can see the before/after compared with the fresh product right out of the bag.

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Original vs final, coin for scale

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Final version in ziplock bag

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Closeup of the moler clay product before

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Closeup of the moler clay product after

My observations

  • Yes there is clear degradation of the soil structure after 20 deep freezes
  • This breaks down into a flakey, plate-like structure (which is different than how akadama behaves)
  • Still retains some structure after 20 cycles. With other soil particles (a.k.a. pumice) I would not be too worried about oxygen deprivation
  • This seems great out of the bag - particles are VERY uniform, just the right size for the application, and very little dust.

I’m hoping to repeat the same experiment with akadama when I refresh my supply. Hope that some people find his useful!

2 Likes
2

Great job conducting a well designed test.

3

Looks great! Thanks for conducting this test. I’m in Denmark and I’ve used moler for close to ten years, for a wide variety of trees and have had great results with it.

Especially as a cheap alternative for collected trees that like to stay somewhat wetter, as it holds quite a bit of water, or in a 50/50 mix with pumice for those trees that like it a bit more balanced.

next spring I’ll repot a big Acer that has been in the same molermix for probably 6-7 years, and I’m curious to see how it looks in the roots. Above soil it’s growing a lot and happily.

In general for development, and for the times where you just need a cheap alternative, I think it pretty good in our climate.

4

Curious @J_L if you see this kind of mechanical erosion / soil decomposition with the moler clay you’ve been using? You’re slightly more north that me in the The Netherlands, I would expect you maybe get to freezing temperatures more often.

This is my first season with this material - will follow up in the future to see how this changes over time with my deciduous and conifers.

Thanks for sharing your experiences in the thread!